Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, has managed to walk the fine line between Donald Trump and exorcism from a dark place. How she has managed to stay in her position when so many others have fallen by the wayside is a mystery. Unfortunately, she is in big trouble now.
The Watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a complaint that alleged she violated the Hatch Act several times. The act mainly stops members of the executive branch from being involved in partisan politics. That includes not using their social media, work resources, or offices to work for one party.
Naturally, that would have been difficult for her, since she must be loyal to Trump instead of the federal government. Those who appear on television must always remember they were performing for an audience of one — Donald Trump.
CREW complained to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) about Conway’s partisan Republican tweets and promoting the president’s campaign slogan on her administration media account. CREW wants the OSC to investigate Conway.
The consequences of violating the Hatch Act include a $1,000 fine per violation. She could also be suspended from her job or fired. Her first violation occurred shortly after the president was elected. Conway appeared on camera sounding like an advertisement for the Ivanka Trump brand.
When the Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez tweeted a message about a woman leading the Democratic party, he was referring to the parties list of 2018 women running. Then, GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel picked it up:
‘A woman is actually leading the Republican Party.’
Conway saw McDaniel’s tweet and retweeted it from her office. She also retweeted a story in The Washington Examiner with Donald Trump in one of his hats, displaying the “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” campaign slogan.
CREW is calling on the OSC to investigate whether Conway violated the law by participating in an official media interview while discussing her views on political candidates in partisan races.
In an interview during the Justice Brett Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court hearing, Conway said:
‘I think if you are a red-state Democrat right now, you are stuck choosing between this — being complicit in a process that has been about delay and destruction and the will of your people in your states.’
The president’s counselor added:
‘If you are one of those three Democratic senators who voted for Neil Gorsuch just over a short year ago — Senators (Joe) Manchin (W.Va.) (Heidi) Heitkamp (N.D.) and (Joe) Donnelly in Indiana — you’ve got to think about this. What has changed because your voters want a Supreme Court nominee to be confirmed. They don’t want this obstruction. They don’t like the socialist way the Democratic Party is going.’
One problem is that the president is responsible for doling out the punishment, or lack thereof. Thus far, he has shown no indication that he has done so.
She has not been alone. The Trump administration is rife with ethical violations.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
